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    Thyroid UK
    82,818 members • 97,845 posts

    Whether to take t3 with T4 or not?

    so a week ago i got my blood work done and my tsh was 8.5 ( 0.34-4.6)

    t4 - 0.86 (0.61-1.12)

    feritin 35 (24-336)

    b12 165 (182-803) . these was all checked when i was on levo generic 50mcg and now i have started taking synthroid 88mcg.

    my doctor didnt bother to check my ft3 and tt3 so after a week of built up frustration i got him to give me orders for it and the results were

    ft3- 3.3 (2.3-5.0) ( this was after a week after started my synthroid 88mcg)

    tt4-100 (80-180)

    almost 2 months from this result my t3 was 2.8 ( 2.3-4.2). after reading about so many people not doing good on t4 only i requested my doctor to prescribe my t3 and he prescribed me 12.5 mcg a day now which ill be starting from tomorrow. i dont know what answer im looking for here but do i really require t3? i have been feeling ridiculous for a LONG LONG time and I just want to get rid of it which is clearly not happening and t3 is my last remaining hope for it. i see my t3 has increased just in a week after taking synthroid 88mcg so I dont know whether i should be taking t3 or not. is it detrimental to try taking it? also do i take it together with t4 in the morning?

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    27 Replies
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    Hi hypossee,

    Yes you can take T3 and T4 together, with a full glass of water, about 1 hour before food or 2 hours after eating or drinking anything apart from water.

    Your results for the T3 blood draw have different ranges, and when you work it out there is virtually no difference.

    To work this out, Add the 2 figures in the brackets and divide that number by 2. That gives you the half way mark.

    In General most members feel better if their T3 is in the top third of the particular range.

    Ranges differ from lab to lab because different machines may be used.

    Hope I haven't confused you.

    J 🍀

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    Thanks for the response! Hoping to see something positive from it soon.

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    It's really too soon to tell anything. It takes six weeks for T4 to be fully absorbed and converted. And, you need to have your FT4 and FT3 tested at the same time to be able to see how well you're converting. However, taking T3 isn't goingvto do you any harm - as long as your FT3 doesn't go over range. And, yes, take it with your T4 in the morning, why not.

    But are you supplementing your ferritin and B12? Because they are much, much too low. In fact, with a B 12 that low, you should get checked for Pernicious Anemia.

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    i just recently started 325 mg ferrous sulfate for my ferritin and started taking 10000 mcg b12 (cyanocobalmin). my doctor hasn't told me to take shots but i think I'm suppose to be getting it seeiing my b12 level. Is there any quicker way to get the levels balanced?

    Reply

    I'll call my "doctor" tomorrow for pernicious anemia but he tends to refuse a lot of things that i say. im trying to look for another doctor now

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    A lot of doctors dislike patients asking for things, and making suggestions about their treatment. But, if they were better doctors, patients wouldn't have to! A good doctor would have looked at that B12 level and automatically tested for PA. Try saying something like 'don't you think I ought to be tested with such a low B12?' If he still refuses, just you want it and you want it now! I find that often works because it takes them by surprise. lol Seriously, though, PA is a very serious autoimmune disease and shouldn't be taken lightly.

    Oh, and by the way, you're taking the wrong B12. What you need is sublingual methylcobalamin, not cyanocobalamin because it's not easily absorbed. You should also be taking a B complex, to keep the Bs balanced.

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    I forced him to take my t3 blood work as well and got him to prescribe me t3 by saying that i used to take it 6 months ago and i felt good. its a pain in the neck to talk to these so called doctors when you know more than him (obviously from internet) lol i seriously dont know what they did in their medical schools to become a doctor.

    I just ordered b12 methylcobalmin after finding out about it. the more i know about things the more confused i get Since everything is so much connected. I have low iron level as well and because of having low b12 its hard for me to take iron supplements since i found out that it will cause constipation due to low stomach acid and if i dont build my ferritin level/ iron level my thyroid medication won't work. everything is such a vicious cycle that i wonder if anyone has ever recovered out of it. Thank you very much for your response greygoose, it feels really good to talk to somebody who knows about it.

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    Have you tried taking vit C - at least 1000 mg - with your iron supplements? That protects your stomach, and helps avoid constipation.

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    Thanks for your reply greygoose. Can you tell me if taking t3 with t4 inhibits the purpose of t4 since it should be taken alone on an empty stomach? This might be a stupid question but I have been taking it for past 2 days and I think I feel no difference instead a bit more brainfogged. I'm very confused actually what I'm feeling, really vulnerable to almost any thoughts or feelings it's hard to explain

    Reply

    No, it's usually fine to take the two together. The reason for not taking T4 with other things, is that T4 will bind with some of them, and become unavailable to be used by your body. But one hormone won't bind with another.

    However, if you think there is a problem, try taking them separately, and see if that improves things.

    But it could just be that you haven't been taking it long enough, yet. Two days is nothing, in thyroid terms. Give it a bit more time, before coming to any conclusions. :)

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    is there any case where one feels worse by taking t3? i wonder if i can feel good just on synthroid. this is so so frustrating

    Reply

    Well, it depends how well you can convert. A lot of people do very well on just thyroxine - whatever the brand. But, if you can't convert it, then you will have problems.

    On the other hand, not every body does well on T3. Nor NDT, come to that. It's all trial and error to find what suits you.

    Do you know how well you convert? Have you had your FT4 and FT3 tested at the same time to find out? How much T3 are you taking?

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    I have no idea how well i convert actually. i never got checked for both of them together since my doctor never let me. i have my appointment in 3 weeks so that time ill get checked for both together. Im taking 12.5 mcg with 88mcg synthroid right now. do you think i should not take t3 and just take synthroid until my next appointment and then go about taking t3 from there?

    Reply

    Yes, if you want to know how well you are converting the T4, you need to stop the T3. Also, it might be an idea to stop the T3 for a while, if you think it's not agreeing with you, and see how you feel. But, it is only a very tiny dose. Could be that it's just not enough, and that's why you feel bad. Testing the FT3 will tell you.

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    I guess i wont take t3 from tomorrow now and just see how well it converts for me. thanks for your time! really appreciate it.

    Reply

    You're welcome. :) Let us know how you get on.

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    definitely will!

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    hi greygoose i just posted my new results and was looking forward to see what you had to say about my new result. can you see any changes or anything that you can tell me? thanks!

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    Hi Greygoose... can you drink orange juice with your Iron tablet instead of taking it as a supplement?

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    You mean instead of taking vit C as a supplement? Well, you won't get much vit C with a glass of orange juice. I doubt if it'd be enough to serve its purpose.

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    And here's me thinking I was doing good ;) haha... looks like I'll be googling tonight which is the best Vit C supplement.

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    Well, you can drink the orange juice as well as taking a vit C supplement. :)

    A large orange has about 98 mg vit C. You really need to take about 1000 mg. That's a lot of oranges!

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    Hi grey goose hope you are well.. you are funnyv. "I want it and I want it now". I did once demand an endoscopy when I had long-term vomiting!!!! Big hugs Jane xx

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    Well, I don't think that's something I'd ever demand, but... Hope it helped! lol

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    Yes both kidneys were not functioning properly so good I insisted and saved kidneys.. had major surgery. Have a good day xx

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    Thank you. :) You too!

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    Yes, people have recovered!! You can, too!

    Try taking vitamin C, which will enhance iron absorption to bowel tolerance - 2-5g a day. Also, you can try magnesium citrate or glycinate to bowel tolerance for iron constipation. Many people are deficient in magnesium. Probiotic, too.

    Your B12 needs to be closer to 1,000, you'll likely feel more energetic with supplementation, methyl B12 is a great idea. You can take 2-5g a day pretty safely.

    And, have you had folate checked? Probably a good idea! 😉

    And, you should be on a high quality, gluten free, preferably Paleo Diet, which should help B12, iron, folate, and digestion over time.

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